Mohammed al-Khouly

Mohammed al-Khouly was a General of the Syrian Air Force and head of its intelligence body.

Biography
Mohammed al-Khouly was a Syrian general and Chief of the Secret Services of the Syrian Air Force, and he was one of the heads of Syria's intelligence services. al-Khouly worked with PFLP member Kamal al-Issawi, and in 1978 he was introduced to Carlos the Jackal by Kamal and his subordinate Haitham Said. al-Khouly wanted for Syria to have the ability to carry out operations in Western Europe due to the West's ability to influence actions in the Middle East, and he wanted the late Wadie Haddad's international operations network. al-Khouly and Syria gave Carlos money, support, and diplomatic backing, and he carried out several operations for him, including attacking al-Watan al-Arabia's office in Paris, France and assassinating French diplomats in Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. While Syria conducted anti-West operations in the Levant, Carlos would bring the war to France itself, culminating in a series of attacks in 1982-1983 against France. These attacks made Carlos visible and made any country that hosted him a pariah, and in 1985 Syria reluctantly agreed to take him in, although he could not direct operations from Syria, effectively ending his group's usefulness. In 1991, Carlos was forced to leave for good after he renewed relations with Syria's enemy of Iraq, and Syria cut its ties with Carlos.